# Womanizer (song)
"Womanizer" is an electropop and dance-pop song by the American singer [Britney Spears](https://www.edgepedia.org/britney-spears), released through [Jive Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/jive-records) on September 26, 2008 as the lead single from her sixth studio album, *[Circus](https://www.edgepedia.org/circus-britney-spears-album)*. Written by Nikesha Briscoe and Rafael Akinyemi of the Atlanta-based production team the Outsyders, it addresses a cheating man from a position of knowing power, and it returned Spears to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time since "...Baby One More Time" in 1999.[1](https://lyricsweb.com/song/britney-spears/britney-spears-womanizer) • [2](https://stereogum.com/2221865/the-number-ones-britney-spears-womanizer/columns/the-number-ones) • [3](https://repository.gatech.edu/bitstreams/b65e981c-c748-4de2-b82d-fe43050b1672/download)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | Lead single from *Circus*, released via Jive Records on September 26, 2008; running time 3:43[1](https://lyricsweb.com/song/britney-spears/britney-spears-womanizer) • [4](https://musicbrainz.org/release/8eb638ab-a686-3732-a586-aa27efed95dd) |
| Writers and producers | Nikesha Briscoe and Rafael Akinyemi of the Outsyders; mixed by Serban Ghenea at MixStar Studios, Virginia[1](https://lyricsweb.com/song/britney-spears/britney-spears-womanizer) • [4](https://musicbrainz.org/release/8eb638ab-a686-3732-a586-aa27efed95dd) |
| Billboard Hot 100 | Jumped from number 96 to number 1, at the time the biggest leap in the chart's history; stayed at number 1 for one week[2](https://stereogum.com/2221865/the-number-ones-britney-spears-womanizer/columns/the-number-ones) • [5](https://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/idolchatter/2008/10/britney-now-then-virtually-for.html) |
| UK Singles Chart | Peaked at number 3; 30 weeks on the chart from 15 November 2008 to 6 June 2009[6](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/britney-spears-womanizer/) |
| Awards | Grammy nomination for Best Dance Recording (lost to Lady Gaga's "Poker Face"); Best Pop Video at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards[7](https://time.com/4468932/vmas-2016-mtv-britney-spears-video/) |
| Certification | 6× Platinum in the United States (RIAA)[1](https://lyricsweb.com/song/britney-spears/britney-spears-womanizer) |
## Release and production
The road to release was turbulent. On September 19, 2008, a Jive representative played a rough mix for staff at the Lebanon, Tennessee radio station 107.5 The River, who recorded and leaked a 37-second snippet online. The leak forced Spears back into the studio and delayed the originally scheduled September 23 premiere. She re-recorded vocals with Jim Beanz and Marcella "Ms. Lago" Araica, with final mixing handled by Serban Ghenea at MixStar Studios in Virginia.[1](https://lyricsweb.com/song/britney-spears/britney-spears-womanizer)
The Outsyders were largely unknown before the song; their only previous credit was a [Keyshia Cole](https://www.edgepedia.org/keyshia-cole) deep cut called "Oh-Oh, Yeah-Yea," and they did not produce another major hit afterward.[2](https://stereogum.com/2221865/the-number-ones-britney-spears-womanizer/columns/the-number-ones)
## Music and lyrics
"Womanizer" is an uptempo electropop and dance-pop song with dark synths over a dance-oriented beat. Spears had already worked with Euro-club sounds on her 2007 album *[Blackout](https://www.edgepedia.org/blackout-britney-spears-album)*, but "Womanizer" embraces that thumping electro-pop style with single-minded focus.[2](https://stereogum.com/2221865/the-number-ones-britney-spears-womanizer/columns/the-number-ones)
On paper, the song is an empowering track directed at a cheating man. Spears herself described it as "a girl anthem." The chorus repeats the title word so often that it functions almost as a mantra, and the lyrics address the man as both "superstar" and "daddy-o." The line "You say I'm crazy? I got your crazy" is often singled out as the song's moment of self-awareness.[2](https://stereogum.com/2221865/the-number-ones-britney-spears-womanizer/columns/the-number-ones)
## Critical reception
Upon release, "Womanizer" received critical acclaim. Peter Robinson of *The Observer* gave it the maximum five stars, calling it a comeback single with a "genius hook" and defending its repetitive hook against charges of laziness.[8](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/oct/12/britneyspears-popandrock)
## Chart performance
After selling hundreds of thousands of iTunes downloads in its first week, "Womanizer" surged from number 96 to number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, at the time the biggest leap in the chart's history, temporarily dislodging T.I. and Rihanna's "Live Your Life." The single stayed at number 1 for one week.[2](https://stereogum.com/2221865/the-number-ones-britney-spears-womanizer/columns/the-number-ones) • [5](https://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/idolchatter/2008/10/britney-now-then-virtually-for.html) The jump reflected a change in how the Hot 100 was compiled: Spears could now ride a tide of digital downloads rather than relying on radio or physical sales.[2](https://stereogum.com/2221865/the-number-ones-britney-spears-womanizer/columns/the-number-ones)
In the United Kingdom, the single entered the Official Singles Chart on 15 November 2008 at number 4 and peaked at number 3 on 13 December 2008, spending 30 weeks inside the top 100.[6](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/britney-spears-womanizer/) It appeared at number 80 on Billboard's Year-End Hot 100 for 2008 and number 39 for 2009.[4](https://musicbrainz.org/release/8eb638ab-a686-3732-a586-aa27efed95dd)
## Music video
The music video was directed by Joseph Kahn, who had previously worked with Spears on "Stronger" and "Toxic."[1](https://lyricsweb.com/song/britney-spears/britney-spears-womanizer) • [9](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6715370/) It was shot over two days in Los Angeles, with Spears personally pitching the concept that shaped the final cut.[1](https://lyricsweb.com/song/britney-spears/britney-spears-womanizer) The video features multiple personas and costume changes, including a scene in a sauna, and it won Best Pop Video at the 2009 [MTV Video Music Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/mtv-video-music-awards); Spears, on her Circus tour, accepted via satellite.[5](https://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/idolchatter/2008/10/britney-now-then-virtually-for.html) • [7](https://time.com/4468932/vmas-2016-mtv-britney-spears-video/)
## Context in Spears' career
"Womanizer" anchored the comeback campaign that preceded *Circus*, which was released on Spears' 27th birthday, 2008, and sold a half-million copies in its first week.[2](https://stereogum.com/2221865/the-number-ones-britney-spears-womanizer/columns/the-number-ones)
## References
1. [Womanizer by Britney Spears – Lyrics & Story Behind It, LyricsWeb](https://lyricsweb.com/song/britney-spears/britney-spears-womanizer)
2. [The Number Ones: Britney Spears' "Womanizer," Stereogum (Tom Breihan, May 5, 2023)](https://stereogum.com/2221865/the-number-ones-britney-spears-womanizer/columns/the-number-ones)
3. [Technique (Georgia Tech student paper), January 16, 2009](https://repository.gatech.edu/bitstreams/b65e981c-c748-4de2-b82d-fe43050b1672/download)
4. [Release "Womanizer" by Britney Spears, MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/release/8eb638ab-a686-3732-a586-aa27efed95dd)
5. [Britney Now, Then, Virtually Forever, Beliefnet (Paul O'Donnell, October 2008)](https://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/idolchatter/2008/10/britney-now-then-virtually-for.html)
6. [WOMANIZER – BRITNEY SPEARS, Official Charts Company](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/britney-spears-womanizer/)
7. [From Schoolgirl to Glory: The Complete 17-Year History of Britney Spears at the MTV Video Music Awards, Time](https://time.com/4468932/vmas-2016-mtv-britney-spears-video/)
8. [Pop review: Britney Spears, Womanizer, The Guardian / The Observer (Peter Robinson, October 2008)](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/oct/12/britneyspears-popandrock)
9. [Britney Spears: Womanizer (Music Video 2008), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6715370/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Compositions and songs › Pop, rock, and metal songs › Pop songs › Pop songs of the 2000s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license